Electrophotographic image-forming devices have conventionally had end seal members at photosensitive bodies and end seal members at develop apparatuses, and have had end seal members at intermediate transfer bodies and/or intermediate transfer belts in color image-forming devices, preventing leakage of toner at the interior of the image-forming device, and preventing contamination of the interior of the image-forming device and image defects which would otherwise occur due to leakage of toner. Furthermore, end seal members used in electrophotographic image-forming devices include sealing members comprising foamed synthetic resin bodies, sealing members comprising nonwoven fabrics, sealing members comprising implanted fibers, sealing members comprising piled woven fabrics, sealing members comprising woven fabric, sealing members comprising knit fabrics, and so forth. Such sealing members are frequently used in electrophotographic image-forming devices as end seal members at toner carriers to seal ends where surfaces of toner carriers which carry toner are partially exposed or as end seal members at toner carriers to seal ends where surfaces of toner carriers which are rotating bodies are partially exposed.
As indicated below, there are variety of conventional technologies related to material, structure, and so forth of sealing members used in image-forming devices. One thereamong discloses a develop apparatus in which an end face at one end of a seal member is made into a toner guide rake face comprising a rake angle (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 1). The develop apparatus in accordance with this disclosure has a guide comprising a single-step guide which is provided at one location for returning toner at a sheet, and because this single-step guide has a structure which is sheet-like and which engages in surface contact, the area over which it contacts the sleeve is large. Because the conventional device is thus a single-step guide, and because of rubbing of the sleeve due to sheet-like surface contact and slight leakage of toner, there is a large torque load on the sleeve, as a result of which there has been the problem that torque is high at the develop apparatus.
A develop apparatus has been disclosed in which a foamed body is employed as developer leakage prevention member, an inclined groove being provided such that the direction of movement of developer is made to be in a forward direction (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 2). However, the end seal member at the develop apparatus which is disclosed at this reference comprises a sealing member having a structure in which a groove is provided at a foamed body. But because this sealing member comprising a foamed body is an elastic body, the fact that the elastic body deforms as a result of rubbing due to contact with the develop roller has caused the effect whereby toner is controlled and returned to be lessened, so it can hardly be said that this possesses adequate seal functionality as an end seal member for a develop apparatus, and develop apparatuses have therefore been inadequate despite provision of such sealing members.
A cleaning apparatus has been disclosed as solution means to address deleterious effects of accumulation of toner below a side seal in the context of a cleaning apparatus for an image-forming device, the means being such that a slide member is attached at a location upstream from a sealing member to prevent accumulation of toner on the sealing member (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 3). However, the cleaning apparatus which is disclosed at this reference is such that toner constituting powder is diverted therebelow a little at a time and whenever necessary so that in practice there is no problem whatsoever with regard to deleterious effects from accumulated toner. But as the fact that toner is diverted therebelow a little at a time itself constitutes a problem, it cannot be said that this apparatus is an adequate cleaning apparatus.
A develop apparatus has been disclosed which is provided with a guide for causing toner which has entered the space between a sealing member and a rotating body to be made to return, as a result of rotation of the rotating body, to a region that comes in compressive contact with a control member (see, for example, Patent Reference No. 4). Here, the structure of the end seal member at the rotating body serving as the develop apparatus is a develop apparatus comprising a structure in which there is a sheet over which an inclined sheet is affixed, the step formed from these sheets being employed as toner guide so as to control leakage of toner. This apparatus has the same problem as at the aforementioned Patent Reference No. 1, which is that because of rubbing of the sleeve at the plane of the sheet and slight leakage of toner, there is a large torque load on the sleeve, and so there has been the problem that torque is high at the develop apparatus.
A sealing mechanism for a develop apparatus is disclosed which employs a sealing member in which implanted fibers are woven thereinto, the sealing mechanism for the develop apparatus being formed such that an angle of collapse of implanted fibers in an axial direction and an angle in which they are woven thereinto are defined (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 5). However, although the implanted fibers are woven thereinto it is nonetheless the case that the fibers are implanted, as a result of which there is the phenomenon of shedding of fibers, and so as a result of rubbing over long periods of time due to compressive contact with the develop roller there has been occurrence of fiber shedding, and it has been the case that a phenomenon whereby shed fibers enter the interior of the develop apparatus and are trapped by the toner control blade has caused appearance of bands on the developed surface or has caused occurrence of decrease in seal characteristics due to fiber shedding, and so it can hardly be said that these possess adequate seal characteristics, and there have also been problems with regard to ability to function as a develop apparatus.
A cleaning apparatus for an image-forming device has been disclosed, the cleaning apparatus being such that an end seal member is constituted from synthetic leather which contacts an image carrier and an elastic member which is made to adhere in integral fashion to this synthetic leather (see, for example, Patent Reference No. 6). Prior to recent years, because pulverized toner had been the favored approach, this cleaning apparatus had been used without any problem. However, in recent years, conglobated toner has come into frequent use. In this regard, in the Benefits of the Invention section of this Patent Reference No. 6, it is described that while the toner may have small particle diameter, it can be limited to a minimum that will permit passage through synthetic leather. But because the conglobated toner of recent years has a particle diameter that is even smaller than the toner of small particle diameter prior to recent years which is described at this reference, this makes it difficult to control or block leakage of toner through mere presence of a fine-structure-type configuration at the surface of a sealing member. For this reason, the back-skin-type sealing member comprising synthetic leather and an elastic member which is made to adhere in integral fashion to this synthetic leather as indicated at this Patent Reference No. 6 is inadequate as an end seal for a cleaning apparatus.
Moreover, in the context of a device comprising a processing cartridge capable of being installed in and removed from the main body of an image-forming device, a processing cartridge has been disclosed which is formed such that a magnetic sealing member is arranged with a prescribed gap between it and an outside circumferential surface of a developer carrier, an elastic body being provided so as to cause the developer carrier to be contacted thereby over the entire circumference at a portion corresponding to the magnetic sealing member and adjacent to the develop region side of the magnetic sealing member (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 7). It should be noted that this processing cartridge is effective as to the sealing effect of a magnetic seal formed with respect to magnetic toner and two-component developer. However, with respect to nonmagnetic toner, there being no magnetic constraining force, sealing is not possible. Furthermore, because this processing cartridge employs a magnetic body, it cannot be said to be advantageous from the standpoint of cost.
Furthermore, as a sealing member for preventing leakage of toner, a sealing member has also been disclosed which is a sealing member comprising a high-resistance electrically conductive member, and in which a voltage is applied to this sealing member to cause accumulation of charge at developer, a groove being formed such as will allow motion toward a central region facing an axial direction of a develop roller (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 8). Moreover, while this reference describes the sealing member as being formed flexible cloth, felt, urethane rubber, or other such elastic member, it is described that this alone will not permit prevention of scattering due to generation of a developer cloud or leakage of developer. That is, this is a develop apparatus that has been made capable of preventing leakage of toner as a result of application of voltage to a sealing member comprising a high-resistance electrically conductive member to cause accumulation of charge at developer, the sealing member being a rubber-type elastic body in which fine electrically conductive particles have been mixed, the surface of which has been coated with a friction-reducing polyamide-type (trade name Nylon), styrene-type, or fluoro-type coating agent, which are expensive components, making the develop apparatus expensive.
Moreover, with respect to sealing members comprising woven fabric, a sealing member comprising woven fabric is disclosed which is such that yarn is raised in wavelike fashion, yarn at peaks and valleys being arranged differently (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 9). With such woven fabric, the fact that yarn diameter is large and the fact that it is made up of multiple weaving patterns makes it possible that there will be spaces at the valleys between peaks, or that the yarn which forms peak regions will collapse to the side due to compression of the fiber, and will in addition collapse into valley regions, as a result of which blockage of toner may become unstable.
Moreover, sealing structures for rotating bodies formed by printing have been disclosed (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 10). Because such sealing structures that are stepped guides which are produced by printing, it is difficult to sharply form the corner which will serve as guide.
Furthermore, a develop apparatus has been disclosed which employs a sealing member in which projecting interstices of the woven mesh arranged so that overlapping portions of surfaces are progressively staggered are arrayed in such fashion as to be inclined at a prescribed angle which is less than or equal to 45° relative to the direction of motion of the developer carrier (e.g., see Patent Reference No. 11 or Patent Reference No. 12). However, at a woven fabric having such a woven pattern, the structure is such that the overlapping portions which control toner block toner from entering the interior of the sealing member, the warp yarns being in the forward direction relative to the direction of motion of the developer carrier, and the projecting interstices of the woven mesh being at an angle relative to the direction of motion. Accordingly, where toner has entered from the axial direction of the sealing member, since, so long as the warp yarns are in the forward direction, movement will be toward the interior or toward the exterior in the axial direction, this cannot be said to be adequate effect with respect to return of toner. For this reason, grease-like fluorinated lubricants have therefore been applied, this being nothing more than augmentation of the occluding effect of the warp yarns toward the interior of the sealing member. Furthermore, with regard to develop apparatuses, such application of grease-like substances to end seal members tends to cause toner to clump as if the toner had aggregated, and increases the likelihood of occurrence of image defects, and so it can be said that such an apparatus is inadequate as a develop apparatus, in addition to which there is nothing distinctive about the constitution in terms of recessed regions.